


Lost Boy

by jessthemess19



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Child Peter, Evil Obadiah, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Whump, Possible Rape, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Peter's bio dad, i can't tag, it's cute, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-01-11 17:22:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18428648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessthemess19/pseuds/jessthemess19
Summary: “I always saw kids as a bit of an f-word, guess I have my father to thank for that. But, I promise, I’m gonna be everything he wasn’t. You’re never going to feel alone, or scared, or worried, not as long as I’m around. And I promise you, I’m gonna be around. I’m gonna be around when you take your first steps, I’m gonna be around when you first go to school, your first school dance. I’m gonna stick every single one of your papers on any available surface so that everyone can see just how proud I am of you. I’m gonna be there when you’re sick, when you’re heartbroken, when you’re exhausted. I’m gonna be there when you bring your girlfriend or boyfriend home, and I won’t judge, or if you don’t want anyone at all, I’ll still be there for you. I promise you, I’m not going to be my father.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I don't know why I'm starting another fic when I don't have the writing skills or the time to do it justice. Hey hooooo. I kinda started writing this as a way to release stress for my upcoming exams which are taking over my life, so, even though i will aim to update weekly, I may fall behind a couple of weeks. 
> 
> MAJOR WARNING - this is going to be a pretty dark fic. If you don;t want to read that sort of thing, or child abuse is a trigger, please don't read this. 
> 
> You have been warned. 
> 
> Anywayyyy I really hope you enjoy this fic, and that my crappy writing is tolerable!

“May, I have no idea how to take care of myself, let alone a baby!” Tony said, eyeing the basket currently sitting on his table containing a small bundle. “Surely you’ve seen what’s been written about me.” 

“Unfortunately I have, and believe me I wish I had another choice, but Mary and Richard were very clear in their note. They wanted you, his real dad to look after him.” May said, tears welling in her eyes as she thought about the recently late Parkers. 

“I don’t understand May! Why can’t they just take care of him! It was a one-night stand for Christ’s sake – I never wanted a kid!” Tony ran a hand through his hair and over his face, trying to keep his eyes away from the slowly awakening baby. A small hand reached through the blankets, grabbing at the air as the small infant slowly awoke, a small gurgling sound escaping its mouth. 

“Tony… they died. Last month. Plane crash, dead on impact. You’re what they wanted. You’re what Peter needs right now, not me. He needs to be with family, he needs his dad. Please Tony…” May pleaded as the baby began to cry, quietly at first, but slowly gaining volume. Tony couldn’t help but feel his heart break a little more. This helpless thing, this tiny human, needed him like no one ever did. “At least look at him.” 

Tony shuffled forward, hands trembling as he pulled back the soft yellow blanket covering the baby, and was instantly hit by the biggest brown eyes he had ever seen, a direct reflection of his own. His eyelashes seemed to be almost as long as his podgy fingers, his chestnut hair already long enough to begin naturally curling, and his cheeks a healthy shade of pink. His small lips curled into the sweetest smile Tony could ever had imagined, his tears now forgotten and Tony knew, he just knew, that he would kill for this kid. No matter if he was unqualified for the job, he knew he couldn’t let Peter out of his life now that he had gazed upon the face of an angel that he had helped to create. 

“Okay.” 

“What?”

“Okay. I’ll take him. He’s my son I should be the one raising him.” Tony said, determinedly, looking over at May who had shock plastered over her face. “But if I’m gonna do this, I need your help.”

“Anything for Peter.” May said, her heart in her chest at the prospect of finally fulfilling her sister-in-law’s wishes into action. She looked down at the small 4 month old boy, still gazing up at his father, and she knew – she had made the right choice. 

3 hours later, and May had finally left, with the promise of keeping Peter’s identity secret, Tony sat on the floor of his penthouse apartment. After ordering practically everything baby related on the internet through JARVIS, Tony was exhausted, and apparently so was Peter, as he yawned and scrunched his little face up as Tony began to stand up with him in his arms and moved him back towards his bassinet. However, as Tony began to set him down, the boy let out a small whimper and his lower lip began to tremble, eyes glassing over as they began to fill with tears. How is it possible for a baby so small to have such large bambi eyes?

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t do that! I’m not gonna put you down okay?” Tony said as he lifted Peter back out of the bassinet and back into the crook of his arm. “You know, I was never really a baby person.” Tony whispered into Peter’s hair, taking immense comfort in the “baby head smell” parents so often rave about. “I always saw kids as a bit of an f-word, guess I have my father to thank for that. But, I promise, I’m gonna be everything he wasn’t. You’re never going to feel alone, or scared, or worried, not as long as I’m around. And I promise you, I’m gonna be around. I’m gonna be around when you take your first steps, I’m gonna be around when you first go to school, your first school dance. I’m gonna stick every single one of your papers on any available surface so that everyone can see just how proud I am of you. I’m gonna be there when you’re sick, when you’re heartbroken, when you’re exhausted. I’m gonna be there when you bring your girlfriend or boyfriend home, and I won’t judge, or if you don’t want anyone at all, I’ll still be there for you. I promise you, I’m not going to be my father.” 

~~~~~~~~~ 

To be fair to Tony, he was there. At least at first. He stopped drinking and his playboy attitudes, focusing all his attention on Peter. Pepper, his assistant, became so much more than that. She began helping Tony raise Peter, giving advice that seemed to just come more naturally to women than men, like how to change a nappy. May, of course, helped after every shift she did. As a testament to her dedication, Tony decided to let Peter keep her last name, Parker, as he couldn’t take the Stark name without attracting unwanted media attention. Everything was working, Tony was happy, but he still slipped. 

“Daddy?” A small voice said behind him, his music instantly cutting off. 

“Pete? Kiddo you know you aren’t supposed to come into the lab.” Tony said as he turned towards his two year old son, pushing the dark curls out of his eyes, surprised when his fingers came away slightly damp. “Bambi, what’s up? Are you feeling okay? Isn’t Uncle Obie supposed to be looking after you?” Tony asked, not letting the child reply as parental worry began to creep up his throat. 

“Nightmware.” 

“Oh, come here kiddo.” Tony said as he spread his arms wide and Peter gratefully walked into them, squealing as Tony lifted him high into the air, pulling him closer to his chest as he began to move towards the sofa in the lab, which he had often fallen asleep in. “You wanna talk about what happened?” 

Peter shook his head, his soft curls tickling Tony’s neck as his small fist grabbed at the sleeve of Tony’s t-shirt. 

“You wanna go back to bed?” Tony asked again, trying to get an answer out of the toddler cuddled close to his chest. Again Peter shook his head, his breathing soft in Tony’s ear. “What do you want to do then bambi?” 

“Build stwuff.” Peter mumbled, pointing half-heartedly at Tony’s lab table, a project unfinished scattered across the workspace. 

“Ohhh, you want to play with your legos?” Tony asked, already heading towards the small stash he kept downstairs, for emergencies such as this. Peter nodded, eyes now completely dry and sparkling with the excitement of playing with his favourite toy. 

“What’re you bwuilding daddy?” He asked softly when Tony put him down and began to lay out his legos in front of him. His large pooling brown eyes were fixed on the latest piece of Stark tech, another explosive. 

“Oh, that’s um, that’s a new thing Daddy is working on, don’t worry about it Bambi.” Tony tried to explain, instantly regretting not just shutting down the question. It wasn’t that he actively tried to stop Peter from finding out that he sold weapons of mass destruction, it was just that he was convinced Peter would look at him differently. Stop seeing him as the hero he does now – and Tony didn’t know if he could have dealt with that. 

“But what is it?” Peter asked innocently again.

“Peter, just leave it.” 

“But why?” 

“Peter, stop trying to push my buttons.” 

“But why?” 

“Because I don’t want to tell you what it is.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so!” Tony yelled, earning a small gasp from Peter, who quickly returned to his lego pieces, his lower lip trembling slightly. 

“oh God, I’m, God I’m sorry Petey. Daddy is just a bit stressed right now.” Tony said, turning back towards the project and screwing furiously, trying to avoid the tension which now hung in the air. Tony expected Peter to go back to playing with his legos, afraid to open his mouth again, but instead he felt two rather squishy arms wrap around the backs of his knees. 

“Sworry Daddy.” The little voice came from behind and Tony’s heart melted. 

Bending down so he was eye level with the small brown haired child, he said “no Petey, I’m the one who needs to be sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped – you know I larb you right?” Tony smiled as the boy giggled and smacked his chest lightly. 

“That May’s thing!” The small boy giggled, his laughter only increasing as Tony brought his hands to his side and tickled. 

“Peter! What have I told you about coming in here and disturbing your father?” Obie shouted from the door of the lab. Peter’s smile faded in an instant and his head droped, mumbling out a small apology. 

“Obie, don’t worry about it. He had a nightmare, he was just scared.” Tony said, picking up Peter and handing him over to Obadiah who looked less than impressed.   
“He should have been in bed. You spoil him Stark. He needs to learn some discipline.” Obie said firmly, and Peter squirmed in his grasp. 

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Tony muttered to himself, before leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Peter’s head, carding his hand through the boy’s curls. “Night night baby.” He whispered lovingly, turning away as he tried to ignore the mad grabby motions Peter seemed to make towards him. He had to finish the product. 

The longer he was apart from his dad, the more uneasy Peter seemed to feel. By the time they had reached his space themed bedroom, the feeling had grown into more than just butterflies in the stomach. Obie stalked towards him, grabbing hold of one of his little parts and pulling slightly so Peter had no option but to look at him. “I asked you once and I’ll ask again. What did I tell you about disturbing your father while he is working?” Peter shrunk under his intense gaze, and answered in a voice too timid for a toddler. 

“I would get in troub-b-ble” Peter stuttered out as a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. 

“You’re crying like a baby Peter. You’re not a baby are you?” Peter shook his head, confused. “Maybe I should treat you like the baby you are then. Babies only respond to one thing.” Peter’s spare hand flew to his cheek as the blow landed, tears filling up in his eyes again and spilling down onto his cheeks. Obie pulled him towards his bed, bending his small frame over his knee as he started hitting Peter again on the behind. Peter cried out each time, his face tear streaked and his body shaking with sobs, but Obie showed no mercy. An eternity later, it finally stopped, and Peter was laid back down under his star sheets. 

“Now. I didn’t want to have to do that, but your behaviour forced me to. That was your fault Peter. If you misbehave again I can promise you the punishment will be much more severe.” Obie said as he stood up and began to leave the room. “Now tell me. Whose fault was that?” 

“M-m-mine.” Peter gasped out between sobs. 

“Mine what?” 

“M-m-ine sir.” Peter replied, a pain in his eyes which should not ever exist in a toddlers eyes, where excitement and wonder so often lie. 

“Good boy. Now – I’m going to have to tell your father just how bad you’ve been. He will be so disappointed in you Peter.” Obie said, openly manipulating Peter. 

“No!” Peter almost shouted, until he remembered that he was supposed to be being good. “Plwease don’t tell Daddy…” 

And that evening, the reason unbeknownst to all even himself, Tony felt the urge to have a drink. That drink led to another, and another, and another, until it was no longer just a simple drink to calm him down after a long day in the lab. It led to him passing out in front of his bar, completely ignorant to the muffled sobs of his son only a couple of rooms above his head. 

They say life is a downwards spiral. 

If this is true, then life and Tony Stark are incredibly similar.


	2. Neverland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so I had massive writers block and I usually don't post anything until I have at least 2 chapters written, but I got a little over excited for this fic so I published the first chapter. Buuuutttt luckily I've tried to work through this block and after some very encouraging comments from the wonderful mayeevee (You're incredible and your comments made me cry) I picked up my laptop and didn't stop until I had written another chapter. 
> 
> TBH, it's probably really bad because of my writers block, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

“Sir, Pepper Potts is coming to the lab.” Jarvis’ voice filled the space, causing Tony to jolt awake, rubbing his throbbing head. “Should I tell her where you are?”

“No, no Jarvis. Just give me a minute okay?” Tony groaned, dragging his hand over his face, groaning once again at the blinding light flooding his eyes. 

“Sir, she is quite insistent.” Jarvis said once again, causing Tony to drag himself off the couch he had been sleeping, rolling onto the floor in his hungover state. “She is bringing young Peter with her.” 

“Pete? What’s he doing up again?” Tony wondered aloud. His thoughts however, were interrupted when the lift doors opened and a small body came flying towards him. 

“Daddy!” Peter shouted, throwing himself at his father. “Daddy look!” Peter pointed at the small LEGO building in his hand. 

“Woah Pete! Did you make this by yourself?” Tony asked, trying to shake his incredibly visible hangover. 

“No, Pwepper helped.” Peter replied, looking up at the women with eyes filled with pure love. Pepper returned his look, bending down to ruffle his hair. 

“Hey Peter, why don’t you go and play with your cars over there hm?” Pepper asked softly, pointing towards the small mess of toys on Tony’s floor. Peter babbled and waddled away happily, picking up his cars and pushing them across the floor whilst making the accompanying sounds. Tony couldn’t help but stop and watch his son play, his smile growing wider at every squeal and small sound coming out of his mouth. 

Finally breaking his trance, he turned to Pepper and asked “why is he up Pep?” 

“Tony, it’s one o’clock in the afternoon, what do you mean ‘why is he up?’” Pepper looked less than impressed. 

“What? No that’s not possible it was midnight last time I checked…” Tony trailed off when he noticed Pepper’s disbelieving glare. 

“Tony, you got drunk last night didn’t you.” 

“What? No of course not!” Tony tried to argue, wincing as one of Peter’s squeals reached his ears, reignited his hangover and headache. 

“Tony don’t lie to me. I’m not mad Tony, you can chose to kill yourself in whatever way you want. I’m not going to stop you. But what I am mad about, is that Peter woke up alone, and you weren’t there to help him get up! You wanna know how he was this morning?” Pepper shouted in a hushed tone, trying not to alert the small boy playing near them. “Tony he had cried himself to sleep! He was so scared when he woke up this morning – he needed you and you weren’t there.” 

Tony stood in shocked silence, trying to understand what Pepper had just told him. His son, his baby boy, had been so frightened, that he had cried himself to sleep, and Tony’s heart broke. His son had been alone and afraid because he had been stupid and turned to alcohol, back to old habits. Awful as it was, the news simply made him crave another drink. Turning away from Pepper, he walked towards Peter who was still enthusiastically playing with his cars. Leaning down, he noticed a small red mark just under his eye, a bruise that was yet to blossom. 

“Hey kiddo. How d’ya get this then?” Tony asked, rubbing his thumb over the mark, careful not to push too hard in case he hurt the small boy. Peter just shrugged and kept his head down, playing with his toys once again. Tony asked again, only to receive the same reply. “Jarvis? Got any idea what happened?”

“Sorry Sir, I seem to have no record of the incident. All footage from Peter’s room last night seems to not exist.” Jarvis said, sounding too concerned for an AI. 

“Huh. That’s strange.” Tony said as he continued to brush his hand through Peter’s curls. “what do you wanna do today then champ?”

“Play with you daddy.” Peter replied, his eyes shining. 

“Sorry buddy, you know how busy daddy is right now…” Tony said, hating the way that Peter’s lower lip began to tremble as he looked away. “But I’m sure Rhodey is free for you to play with him right now.” Peter’s eyes lit up once again as he started to waddle towards Pepper, tugging on her skirt so she would take him to see Rhodey. Pepper threw one more distasteful look towards Tony before getting in the lift with Peter. 

“Heya Champ!” Rhodey shouted as Peter waddled through the door, two fingers firmly stuck in his mouth. 

“Rwodeee” Peter whined, making grabby motions to signal he wanted Rhodey to pick him up. Of course the older man obliged, and Peter snuggled his head into the space between Rhodey’s shoulder and neck. 

“What’s up buddy? You wanna play aeroplanes again?” Rhodey was rewarded with a very enthusiastic nod from Peter, who squealed as he was placed on Rhodey’s shoulders and the man began to run around, making pew pew noises as he went. Pepper watched the happy scene unfold in front of her as she typed away on a Stark Tablet. She was trying to be happy, trying to focus on the large smile plastered across both of their faces, the little squeals and gurgling sounds Peter was making, but her eyes kept coming back to that now purpling mark on Peter’s cheek. It hadn’t been there the night before when she had bathed him and set him down to sleep, reading an endless amount of books because Peter kept claiming he wasn’t tired yet. It worried and unsettled her that Jarvis didn’t know what had happened, but what kept coming back into her head was how little Tony seemed to be worried about it. 

Maybe there was something more than just his alcohol problem plaguing Tony, she thought however, her thoughts were quickly interrupted by Obadiah walking into the room.  
“Can we go to the beach?” Peter asked, his smile fading from his face as the man walked into the room. 

“I’m sorry Pete but I need to stay here today, ask if Pepper is free?” Rhodey replied, already distracted by somethings flashing up on his phone. 

“No need” Obadiah cut in, noticing how Peter flinched away at the sound of his voice. “I’ll take you Pete. I feel like I’ve been missing out on some time with you lately.” 

“But you were with me last nwight?” Peter asked innocently, brown eyes full of confusion. 

Obadiah laughed slightly, stiffening up and glancing at both Rhodey and Pepper’s faces to see if they had noticed. When he was satisfied they hadn’t caught on, he turned back towards Peter. “Well maybe I just want to spend more time with you.” Peter’s bottom lip trembled slightly but he began to walk back out the door, motioning to Pepper so she could change him into a swimming diaper and a rash top. 10 minutes later, a sunscreen smothered Peter emerged from his bedroom and walked toward Obadiah hesitantly. “Come on Pete. You don’t want to waste any time at the beach now do you?” Peter shook his head, eyes on the floor and held out his hand for Obadiah to take. 

~~~~~

After arriving at the beach, Obadiah set out all of Peter’s toys in front of him, and sat down so he was eye level with the toddler. “What you pulled earlier, was not okay.” He said maliciously, subconsciously bringing his hand up to the bruise on Peter’s cheek, revelling in the knowledge that it was himself that had put it there. 

“What?” Peter asked, two fingers once again finding their way into his mouth. Obviously, this was not the right answer. He screamed as Obadiah reached forward suddenly, grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head closer. 

“Don’t play dumb Peter, I know you’re a smart boy. You’re a Stark for crying out loud, you basically get born with a degree. I was talking about what you said to James Rhodes about us spending time together. Do you want your father to find out how naughty you’ve been?” Peter tried to shake his head as best he could, but Obadiah’s grip remained firm. “Clearly you didn’t get the message last night, so maybe I need to show you again.” Peter flinched as Obadiah picked up a small stuffed bear, one of Peter’s favourites, and held it in his hands after releasing his harsh grip on Peter’s hair, leaving the small child a shaking, sobbing mess, clutching his curls with one hand and reaching for his toy with the other. Obadiah took the head of the bear in one hand, pulling it away from the body in one swift movement, his lips curling up into a smile as he saw more tears begin to make their way down Peter’s face as he stood there in shock. 

“Tut tut –what a silly boy you’ve been Peter! You’ve ruined your favourite toy. Your father won’t be impressed to hear about this.” Obadiah said, openly manipulating the boy. Peter continued to look at the ruined bear which had now been carelessly dropped in the sand. “I think behaviour like that deserves a punishment, don’t you?” 

~~~~~~~

“Peter! What happened to your toy?” Pepper asked, her face filled with concern as the toddler looked down at the ruined toy and then back up to Obadiah, who was crouched down to his height, his hand firmly clamped on his shoulder. Tears began to run down Peter’s cheeks as he made those cute grabby motions again towards Pepper, anything to get him away from Obadiah. “Peter what’s wrong? What happened to your bear?” Pepper asked again. 

Looking over her shoulder Peter saw the glare he was getting from Obadiah, and answered “I brwoke it.” He could still feel the bruising grip on his arm and in his hair, the feel of Obadiah hitting him over and over again. Beginning to cry again, he tucked his face into Pepper’s neck and let her carry him out of the lounge and into his bedroom where Tony was waiting for him. 

“Heya Bambi.” He said, ruffling Peter’s hair as Peter reached forward, wanting his dad to pick him up. “I’m gonna give you a bath and then put you to bed is that okay?” Peter nodded, and let his dad carry him towards the bath. Once the water had filled up, Tony set about taking off the swimming diaper and rash top, stopping when he noticed the strange bruise looking markings on Peter’s behind. Worry filled Tony as he carefully placed Peter in the bath and began to rub soap all over him, careful to avoid his eyes. “Kiddo what happened to your butt?” Tony asked softly, running his fingers through Peter’s wet curls.

“Fell over.” Peter mumbled, his hands playing absentmindedly with his toy boat which was floating in the water between his small pudgy legs. Tony sighed, not entirely believing the story but also not wanting to open a can of worms this close to the kid’s bedtime. 

“Come on kid, let’s get you into bed.” Tony pulled Peter out of the bath, careful of the bruises and placed him back on the changing mat after drying him off. He helped Peter pull on another diaper, and then carefully placed all his limbs into the softest Stark Industries onesie he could find. Pointing at the small embroidered words on the front of the onsie, Tony lent down and whispered in Peter’s ear. “You’re my little engineer Pete, and I love you so much.” 

“Love you too Daddy.” Peter whispered back, wrapping his soft arms around Tony’s neck. Tony took this as an opportunity to lift the small boy up into the air and back onto his hip, moving towards the star covered bed. 

“What book do you want tonight then baby?” Tony asked as Peter waddled towards the small bookcase which stood in his room. Peter returned with a bright green book with a cartoon skating cat on it. Tony looked towards it sceptically, laughing a little when he read the title. “Leo le Chat comes to play.” Peter just smiled and giggled, getting under the covers and snuggling closer to his father’s side. 

“Look, there’s Leo. Let’s talk to him. But he only speaks French, so let’s talk to him in French.” Tony rolled his eyes as he looked at his son. “Did Pepper buy you this by any chance?” Peter once again smiled and giggled, and Tony took that as a cue to continue. “Bonjour. Hello. Let’s ask him to come. Viens, Viens ici. Leo says D’accord – do you know what that means Peter?” Peter shook his head, his attention solely on the picture of the blue cat, now standing on a pile of books. “It means ok. Let’s ask him if he wants to play- tu veux jouer? Leo says oui, which means yes. Now listen Leo. Ecoute, ecoute leo. But Leo says non!” Peter gasps dramatically as he traced his hand over the picture, the blue cat now beginning to skateboard fast. “Wait Leo! Attends, attends Leo! But Leo says non again! Be careful Leo! Attention, attention Leo!” Peter again looks over at the photo, his mouth hanging open slightly as he took in the slight of the cat who had now fallen off his skateboard and onto his bottom. Tony continued reading. “Tu as mal? Have you hurt yourself?” He directed this towards Peter, looking intently at his angelic face. “Leo says un peu, which means a little.” 

“Un peu.” Peter replied quietly, subconsciously bringing his hand up to rub his head from where Obadiah was gripping. 

“Ou? Where? Fais voir – show me.” Tony continued on with the book, but his attention was solely on Peter now. “La – there.” The cat was holding it’s tail and pointing at it’s leg. 

“La.” Peter copied, pointing at his behind. Tony’s eyes deepened with concern, but he carried on the story nevertheless. 

“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a? – What is the matter Leo? J’ai soif – I’m thirsty. C’est pour toi – this is for you.” A small mouse handed Leo a glass of water, and Tony noticed Peter’s eyes beginning to droop. “Au revoir Leo.” Tony said, as he pressed a small kiss to Peter’s forehead and left the room. 

Back in his lounge, Tony thought about the bruises, and what Peter had said. There was no way they could have come from him simply falling over. The thoughts continued and spiralled until he found himself at the bar, a drink in hand. 

Once again blacked out on the couch, Tony forgot the entire conversation, the drink in his hand his only fascination.

~~~~~~

For his third birthday, Obadiah gave Peter a beautifully detailed, personally illustrated copy of “Peter Pan.” Peter took it, thanking him as best he could, but obviously not well enough as it still earned him a slap across the face for being so ungrateful.

As Tony was reading the story to him come his bedtime, filled with cake but also an underlying fear, Peter listened to the story, thinking about all the different characters.   
Most little boys want to be Peter Pan, having adventures and never growing up, but not Peter. Peter wanted to grow up as quickly as he could, desperate to get away from the man who hurt him no matter what he did. He had tried telling Tony, but after nothing had happened, Peter had accepted the fact that there was nothing to be done. 

This happens to all three year olds, doesn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments if you think I need to improve - I do find them really helpful. Also, comment the way which you think/want the story to go, because I need a lot of help with prompts for certain chapters. Leave Kudos if you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Peter Pan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGHHHHHHH I HATE THIS CHAPTER. I really want to just start again but it's already later than I meant it to be and also if I started again it would probably be worse that what it originally was. 
> 
> Please don't hurt me for how bad this chapter is. Also there is a lot of jumping around in this chapter, going from present day to when Peter was little, so i hope you can keep up and it's not too confusing. 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this shitshow of a chapter!

_He can still feel the arms, the hands, the fingers down his throat, forcing him to become re-acquainted with the food he had so foolishly tried to smuggle past the man.  
The faceless, looming man who took off his belt and beat him, forcing scars into his skin which still lingered long past the other cuts. _

_He tries to shout, he tries to call for his Dad, his Aunt, someone, someone to save him, but all he gets is another slap across the face, another welt in his back.  
Asking for help meant pain, so Peter stopped asking. _

_Anything to stop drowning, drowning in the hits, in the shouts, in the verbal abuse. Anything to stop drowning in the fact that no one loved him, no one cared enough for him to come and save him._

_He was alone._

_All alone._

_Al-_

“Peter!” A voice shook Peter out of his daze, his head shoot up from his desk. 

“Present.” Peter said, to no one in particular.

“Thank you Mr. Parker but we established that during registration. The question I asked was: Name one biological cause for schizophrenia.” 

Before Peter could speak, another voice interrupted him. “I know Sir, it’s the faulty Caudete Nucleus.” Flash smirked at Peter, a smug glean in his eye. However, these fell quickly when the teacher called out his mistake.

“Actually Mr. Thompson, you’re thinking of the biological explanation for OCD. Now Mr. Parker, if you could tell us the correct answer, I’m sure we would all be grateful.” Mr Reid said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

“Um, uh, the dopamine hypothesis? Too much excess dopamine causes increased activity in the brain?” Peter said, his brain still trying to shake away the image he had been dreaming of; actually, a nightmare would be more accurate. 

“That’s correct.” Mr Reid said as Flash gave him a death glare. “Mr. Leeds, give me a piece of supporting evidence.” 

“Donnelley et al Sir.” Ned replied, casting nervous glances over to Peter. He looked scared, but of what Ned couldn’t work out. Flash never usually rattled him like that.

“You’re dead Penis Parker.” Flash said under his breath, and Ned pretended not to notice the small flinch Peter gave in return. Ned caught up with Peter after class, almost sprinting to catch up with how fast Peter was walking. 

“Peter, dude are you okay?” Ned asked, eyes filled with concern as he grabbed onto Peter’s shoulder, attempting to slow him down. That was a mistake. Peter’s breathing began to get shallower, his whole body tensing up as the hand made contact with his body. 

_A strong hand on his shoulder, pushing him away from all he loved._

_Hands on his shoulder, pushing his small body into his bed, smothering him._

Peter almost fell to the floor, catching himself at the last minute and taking off into a sprint, running through the onslaught of students pouring out of the classrooms like molten lava. He needed to get out. He needed to leave. It was all too much… 

_You can’t escape Peter. No one even knows you’re here. Your dad is dead, just like a lowlife like you should be. No one is coming to save you._

_Come on Einstein, you don’t want May to hear you do you?_

It’s never been this bad. Never the both of them. They usually came in his nightmares, why were they here now? Peter collapsed against a trash can, not caring that the smell was probably seeping into his clothes. He couldn’t breathe, he tried to shout, to scream, but no sound came out. It was like his world was closing in, fading into darkness until it was just him and the voices. Him and the memories. His hands clutched at his curls, pulling them, trying to focus on the pain. The pain can ground him. 

Somewhere, someone is saying his name. 

“-ter! Peter can you hear me? I need you to take deep breaths okay?” Peter identified the voice as belonging to Ned. Slowly, he lifted his head and opened his eyes, wincing at the light which flooded them. “Peter can you name 5 things you can see? Can you do that for me?” 

“Th-the sky, um, you, the playing fields, clouds, and my shoes.” Peter replied in between breaths, still finding it hard to breathe. 

“Okay, good, well done. Now can you tell me 4 things you can feel?” Ned asked, concern dripping from his voice. 

“Um, the ground, the trash can, my jacket, and um, um, I don’t know, oh god I don’t know.” Peter’s breathing quicken again, and his eyes bulged wide in fear. 

“That’s okay Pete, don’t worry, just keep taking nice, deep slow breaths for me okay?” Ned demonstrated, and Peter did his best to follow. “Tell me 3 things you can hear.” 

"Your voice, the birds, and cars.” Peter answered more confidently this time.

“This is a bit harder, but 2 things you can taste.” 

“Um, gum, and um blood.” Peter said, lifting his hand to his lip, realising that he must have bitten it in his panic. 

“Feeling better?” Ned asked, sliding down the trash can to sit next to Peter, as Peter rested his head against his best friend’s shoulder. Peter nodded minutely, breathing finally back to normal. “What happened?”

Peter sniffled, rubbing his sleeve over his nose. “I don’t know. It was weird. It was like I was in this strange kinda limbo. I kept hearing all these voices and I could feel all these hands on me.” Peter shuddered at the memory. 

“Was it you know who again?” Ned asked carefully, not wanting to have to mention his name. 

“Ned, you can say Skip, its okay.” Peter said quietly. “And no it wasn’t. Well, it wasn’t at first, but then he kinda joined in.” 

"Who was it at first then?” Ned asked, freezing as he felt Peter tense up beneath him. “You don’t have to tell me you know Peter, I don’t want to force you into anything.” 

“No, no it’s okay. Truth is, I don’t know who it was. I remember the pain, the feel of the belt, but I couldn’t remember his face. He was just there, this big looming thing.” Peter trailed off, and the two sat in comfortable silence for a minute or two. 

“You wanna come to mine after school?” Ned asked, poking Pete in the side. “We could build my new Lego death star!” The boy’s brown eyes filled with excitement, but it didn’t last long. 

“I have the Stark internship Ned, sorry…” Peter lied. He had to go out and be Spiderman. Be the person he never was, and make sure what happened to him never happened to anyone else. Peter Parker got hurt, got abused, but not Spiderman. Spiderman was strong, Peter Parker was not. 

“You’re always at that internship!” Ned protested, moving so that they were sitting opposite each other. 

“Yeah well, maybe it will turn into a real job one day.” Peter said, not looking up from his hands which were currently entwined with each other, a nervous habit Peter never got rid of. 

“That would be so cool!” Ned laughed, trying to get Peter to focus on him. “They’d be all like – Good job on those spreadsheets Peter, here have a gold coin.” Peter looked at him, a slight smile gracing his features. “Okay I don’t know how jobs work.” Ned confessed, and Peter finally laughed. 

“That’s exactly how jobs work.” Peter joked back, resting his head once again on Ned’s shoulder despite the awkward position. 

“Do, do you think he knows he’s your dad?” Ned asked softly, earning only a soft sigh from Peter. 

“I hope not. If May said I was taken away for a reason, it must have been a pretty good reason. Sometimes I think it has something to do with the man... Maybe the faceless man is Mr Stark?" Peter trailed off, letting his question hang in the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The media have it all wrong when they assume the worst day of Tony’s life was when he was kidnapped. Though the evidence of torture made a very convincing point, the worst day of Tony’s life was reserved for one day, and one day only. 

The day he walked into a hospital room and saw his son, starved, beaten and basically dead wasn’t as bad as his worst day.

The worst day was when his son was dragged, kicking and screaming by May out of the room, out of his home, and flown across the country to start a life which he wouldn’t be in.

The worst part of the worst day of his life? Tony could have stopped it, had he not been such a blind idiot. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Pepper?” Rhodey’s voice sounded through the phone. It sounded like he had been crying.

“No? This is Peter, Pepper let me have her phone.” Peter said innocently, stumbling over a few words. Speaking had never been his strong point. That had always been science.

“Peter sweetie, can you go and find Pepper?” Rhodey asked, causing Peter to furrow his brow in confusion. Rhodey never called him Sweetie.

“Okay.” Peter replied, putting down his LEGO and the circuit board his dad had given him to work on while he was away and headed towards the study Tony had set up for Pepper, getting distracted by the video Pepper appeared to be watching. 

Pepper’s hands were covering her mouth, which seemed to be stuck in a permanent gasp. The man on the screen was shouting at another man, who had a bag over his head. Peter thought it must be a very strange TV show Pepper was watching, until the bag got pulled off to reveal his father. He was covered in blood, and clearly had been unconscious. 

“My Daddy!” Peter shouted as he ran into the room, eyes fixed on the screen, where his father was now being beaten. Peter flinched at every hit, remembering all the similar abuse he had received. Tears began flowing down his face and he began to wail whilst Pepper quickly picking him up and ushering him out of the room. “Pepper! Where’s my Daddy?” He cried, his tears staining her blouse. 

“Peter I don’t know honey, I’m sorry, but we are gonna find him, I promise.” Pepper said, as she rubbed his back. 

Peter suddenly started to kick and punch at her, pushing her away, trying to get the hand off his back. The hand which was rubbing over three years of abuse, etched into his skin.   
“Get off me! Don’t touch me!” Peter shouted, running as soon as Pepper let him down, ignoring the shouts coming from behind him. He tried to ignore Pepper running after him, tears blinding his eyes so much he didn’t realise there was someone in front of him until he ran into the hard body. 

Obadiah smirked down at the 5 year old, who was now staring up at him with pure terror on his face. “Seems like someone just can’t stay away, can he?” Peter’s bottom lip trembled, and the tears which fell for his father, now fell out of fear. 

“Peter!” Pepper said, coming up behind the small boy and taking his shaking frame into her arms. Peter turned and cried into her shoulder, sobbing louder as a large hand landed on his shoulder. 

“Pepper,” Obadiah said, fake concern dripping from his voice. “Peter is in danger. I got a message from the people who have Tony, they want to use Peter a bargaining chip, Pepper they wanna hurt him.” Pepper looked at the small boy in horror, unaware of the fact Obadiah was lying through his teeth. “They’re coming here now – Pepper we have to take him somewhere else.” 

“Of course, I’ll take him, or I’ll give him to May, they won’t know about her.” Pepper said, already pulling out her phone. Anger flashed through Obadiah’s eyes before once again being replaced with the fake concern.

“No Pepper, it’s too late, and not to mention too dangerous for you and May.” He lied. “I’ll take him. I have a house further out in the state, it’s private. They won’t think to look there.” Obadiah smirked once again as Peter began to cry softly, not wanting the older man to notice. Pepper nodded tightly, eyes glancing back to the room where the video was playing on repeat. 

“Peter, go and grab one toy to take with you. You’re gonna be staying with Uncle Obie for a while, just until your dad comes back okay?” Pepper asked softly. 

Peter’s face began to scrunch up again as he said “I want to stay with you!” Pepper simply sighed and kissed Peter on the head, beginning to walk back towards the room she had come from. 

“We are going to have a lot of fun, aren’t we Pete?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to tell me in the comments just how bad that chapter was. 
> 
> Also, the updates are probably gonna slow down soon, because my revision is killing me. I'll keep writing, even though I feel like this story is getting worse as I go along, but hey ho.


	4. Captain Hook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummmm... I totally haven't been ignoring this Fic while my life falls to pieces... 
> 
> I'm really sorry I haven't updated in like 26434835584 years but I've been so busy with exams and stuff that it kinda slipped my mind. 
> 
> Anywayyyyyy I'm actually kinda proud of this chapter I won't lie so I hope you enjoy it!

_“What the fuck is this Peter?” Obadiah said as he waved the half eaten piece of bread in front of Peter’s face._

_“I’m sorry!” Peter protested, trying to wrench his arm out of the man’s vice like grip. “I just got so hungry, I’m really sorry! I won’t – I won’t do it again.” Peter tried to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks, but despite his best efforts, he felt them making their salty path down his face, mingling with the blood slowly dribbling out of his split lip._

_“After everything I’ve done for you, taking you in when your dad died, feeding you, spending money out of my own pocket, taking time out of my day to put aside for you. You know your dad left you nothing – everything I do, I do out of my own kindness.” Obadiah said calmly, face inching closer to the terrified boy. Peter could almost laugh – Kindness? He thinks this is being kind?_

_“I’m sorry, I really am. I’ll put it back!” Peter continued to protest, breath hitching as Obadiah’s hand landed on his shoulder._

_“Well that would be okay Peter, but I think you’ve already eaten some of it.” Obadiah said as he looked once again at the half eaten bread. Peter looked back up at him, eyes wide in terror. “And that’s not okay behaviour. And you know what happens when your behaviour is not okay, don’t you Peter.”_

_“I-I get punished…”_

_“I think you’re missing something there Peter.” Obadiah loomed over the small boy who was now shaking out of fear._

_“S-sir.” Peter managed to whisper, tears flowing freely. Obadiah grabbed the back of Peter’s head, flattening his curls, his touch wholly different to the way Tony used to card his fingers through his hair and whisper love into his ear. The memory grew dimmer and dimmer everytime Obadiah looked in his direction. Obadiah grabbed Peter’s chin roughly, forcing the boys mouth open, shoving two meaty fingers into it, pushing further and further until Peter couldn’t help but gag. Obadiah simply wiped away the few escaping tears from the boy’s eyes with his unoccupied hand, lifting them to his lips as he slowly licked the small beads of liquid, all the while continuing to watch the small child writhe and gag with a sadistic smile._

_Peter couldn’t hold it anymore, and he threw up what little food remained in his stomach. All this for a piece of bread – it wasn’t Peter’s fault that Obadiah only fed him whatever scraps were left from his own meal and he couldn’t stand the hunger pains anymore._

_“Look at that. Disgusting.” Obadiah said as he stared down at the small boy, who was currently coughing violently, eyes transfixed on the small amount of vomit in front of him on the floor. “What do you do now Peter?” The older man asked pointedly, glaring at Peter who had once again started to cry. Peter didn’t even respond as he stood back up, walking towards the door to where he knew Obadiah kept the cleaning supplies. However, before he got there, Obadiah grabbed his hair once again, pushing him forward so his head smashed painfully against the hard wood of the door. Peter, for once, stopped crying, too dazed and shocked as blood began to slowly gush out of his very obviously broken nose, the black eyes he was already sporting already developing into a deeper shade of purple. “Now look. You’ve made an even bigger mess.” Obadiah spat, as he pointing towards the small trail of blood Peter was leaving behind._

_“Forget the cleaning. It’s clear you still refuse to learn correct behaviour. The cheek of it – making a mess like that.” Obadiah said, leaving Peter heavily confused. Why was he getting punished for something Obadiah did? The man grabbed his arm once again, only adding to the constant ring of bruises which seemed to reside there, and dragged the small child, who was for once not fighting him, towards a small closet. “Maybe a day or two in here again will make you learn your lesson.”_

_“No, no, no please!” Peter pleaded, looking fearfully towards the cupboard. “NO! Please!” Peter pleaded again, as Obadiah threw him in the small, dark, damp, locked space with a small chuckle, glee lighting up his features._

_“With no distractions, maybe you’ll have time to think about your actions… Bambi.” Obadiah spat the nickname out._

_Something in Peter broke. That nickname, that term of love, reserved only for his father, had come out of the mouth of his abuser. The one precious memory Peter had of his father vanished in an instant, and he was left alone, the silence only being broken by his shallow breathing, and stomach grumbling unhappily at the lack of food._

_He was alone, in the dark._

_He was alone again._

_Now he truly knew,_

_No one was coming to save him._

Peter awoke, a light sheen of sweat coating his skin as he gasped for breath, clawing at his chest in vain. He couldn’t breathe, it was like someone had his lungs in an iron vice, and they were just making it tighter. His lungs burned at the lack of oxygen, and Peter didn’t even realise he had been screaming until May ran into the room, sleep still lingering on her features. 

“Peter, Pete baby you gotta breathe okay? Breathe for me?” May said, sitting on the end of Peter’s bed, careful not to touch him. 

Peter’s eyes widened in panic as he tried to claw the blankets from his body. “He’s gonna, he’s coming – May he is gonna put me back there! We gotta go before he finds me…” Peter said, his entire body vibrating with fear. He knew he wasn’t in real danger – if he was, his spider sense would have alerted him to the threat. But there was no odd feeling, no tingling at the base of his neck, just a dull sort of ache which came with the lack of oxygen.

“Peter, no one is here. It’s just you and me baby, don’t worry. Pete you’ve really gotta breathe.” May said, trying not to let her panic show in her voice. “It was just a nightmare sweetie, I promise you you’re okay.” 

Peter’s breathing began to level slightly, but the fear still lingered in his eyes. “He isn’t here?” Peter asked hopefully, trying to blink back the tears in his eyes. 

“No sweetheart, he isn’t. Can I touch you Pete?” May asked softly. Peter nodded his head slightly, letting himself relax into his Aunt’s side. May stroked his soft curls and the two sat there for 10 minutes, basking in the calming influence each other. 

“I want Uncle Ben.” Peter mumbled out, pretending not to notice how May’s breath hitched when he said his name.

“I know Sweetie, I know.” May muttered back, sitting Peter up and looking at him in the eye. “You know I larb you right?” May asked, with a slight glint in her eye. 

Peter chuckled slightly, looking back at her with a fierce gaze. “I larb you more.” 

“You gonna be okay now?” 

“Yeah, yeah I feel much better. Thanks May.” Peter said, lying back down on the bottom bunk that he had collapsed onto hours earlier after patrol. Peter’s eyes suddenly flew wide open again – He had forgotten to tell Mr Stark what had happened on patrol! As soon as May quietly shuffled out of the room, he reached for his phone, groaning as the offensive light hit his eyes, pulled up the contact for Happy, and began to type. 

Peter: Kinda quiet tonight boss – not much happened. Stopped a grand theft bicycle, helped an old lady cross the road, stopped a mugging, kinda got stabbed but it’s okay now – not serious or anything. 

Peter: I think I’m ready for more now – just text me when the next mission comes up#

Peter: Sorry it’s late, you’re probably asleep… 

Peter: Anyway, I’ll talk to you tomorrow after patrol – Remember to text me if anything comes up! 

Peter: This is Peter BTW. Peter Parker

Peter: Sorry I’m being annoying I will actually leave you alone now :)

Mr. Stark: Kid – we need to talk. Come by the tower on Thursday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You have to be kidding me.” Happy groaned as he reached over to his bedside table, grabbing the buzzing phone and blinking at the intrusive light it provided. After a quick scroll though the millions of messages from one Peter Parker, Happy made up his mind. Closing down Peter’s messages and pressing the number he had on speed dial, Happy waited until Tony picked up. 

“Happy? What are you doing up?” Tony asked, silently cursing under his breath as he spilled a small amount of coffee on his faded Black Sabbath T shirt. 

“Could say the same to you Boss.” Happy sparked back, trying to get to his point. “Look it’s about the kid.” 

“What’s wrong? Is he okay? I haven’t got any updates from the suit? Shit is he okay?” Tony asked in rapid fire, coffee now forgotten on the worktop. 

“Tony chill the kid is fine – although you wouldn’t guess it with the amount of texts he blew my phone up with.” 

“Okayyyy so why are you calling?” Tony asked, his heart rate beginning to return to its normal pace. 

“This isn’t my job and you know it Tony. I don’t wanna be his babysitter anymore. I’m changing his contact to your phone so he can finally leave me alone.” Happy said in an annoyed tone, the perfect juxtaposition to his name. 

Tony sighed and rested his forehead against his palm, ignoring the motor oil now smudged on his face. “Okay, fine. I’ll have them sent through FRIDAY. I’m sorry Happy I know it’s a lot to ask from you, but I’ve just gotta make sure he is safe. What if something happens to him? I’d never forgive myself – I still haven’t forgiven myself. Not like my father my ass.” Tony muttered. 

“Look Tony there is something else.” Happy said, sleep evident in his voice. Tony waited with baited breath as Happy tried to figure out the best way to break the major news. “The kid, he um, he… well he knows, Tony.” 

“Knows what? You gotta be a little more specific there buddy.” Tony said sarcastically. 

“He knows you’re his dad.” Happy bluntly said. There was a long stretch of silence before Tony finally answered. 

“Give me the number. I gotta go.” Tony said abruptly before ending the call. A small ping signalled to Tony that Happy had forwarded the messages from Peter, and without thinking Tony quickly typed a reply. 

Tony: Kid – we need to talk. Come by the tower on Thursday. 

Tony collapsed onto his chair, placing his phone face down on the worktop and running his hands through his hair and over his face. How did he find out? How could he have known? The doctors had called it voluntary Amnesia – Peter had subconsciously chosen to block out all his painful memories of his childhood, and that included his life with Tony. Though loosing Peter was the hardest thing Tony had ever done, he knew May had been right. He had failed him, failed his Bambi, and though May had to drag Peter kicking and screaming away from Tony, he knew that he had messed that child up 5000 times more than Howard ever could. 

Tony really was a Stark after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who forgot the plot of her own fic? Not me... 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this incredibly late and not very long chapter. I think the next chapter is gonna be the last one soooo if I ever write it - stay tuned! 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my shitty lil fic xx
> 
> (Also I have no idea if voluntary amnesia is a thing -I just needed it to explain why Peter couldn't remember Tony.)


	5. Faries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um hi? I'm back from the dead? I hate myself so much for taking such a long time to write this and get it out to you. I don't think anyone even cares about this fic anymore :) 
> 
> I have a reason for my absence, and I'll explain it all in the notes at the end and I'd be so happy if you would take the time to read it but eh if you don't its your choice! 
> 
> I'm annoyed cus this chapter is sooooooo shit but heyo it's here I hope you enjoy it!

“You know what your precious little Daddy has done now?” Obadiah sneered into the boy’s face as he continued the vice like grip in his hair. At this point in Peter’s captivity it was a wonder he had any hair left at all, yet it still fell in small ringlets across the boy’s forehead currently shining with fearful sweat as he shook his head back and forth. How could he have known? All he had been let out of the cupboard for was to service Obadiah, and even the thought of that alone was enough to make Peter shudder violently. 

“Your Daddy has ruined everything I’ve ever worked for. Ruined! Stark Industries is no longer a weapons supply company.” Obadiah hissed in the boy’s face, sending droplets of spit flying, with some landing on Peter. The boy flinched violently, wincing as the action pulled even harder on the grip in his hair. 

“You, you said my daddy was dead!” Peter cried, whimpering as Obadiah gently caressed the boy’s face. 

“Well, he would have been if he hadn’t have messed up my plans! It was perfect. With him gone I had control of all I ever wanted. The entirety of Stark Industries in the palm of my hand. And then you came along, and it was like my life couldn’t get more perfect.” Obadiah maintained the gentle stroke across Peter’s face as he spoke, Peter subconsciously leaning into what was the first non-violent touch in 3 months. “With Tony gone, the company, and his precious son were all mine. But now he has ruined it!” Obadiah threw Peter across the room, not caring when the boy hit his head on the worktop. 

“Daddy is going to come for me…” Peter mumbled under his breath, earning a kick in the side. “He is gonna come and find me and you’re gonna be in big trouble!” Peter mumbled again, this time slightly louder. He was greeted with yet another kick, and a fist in his hair, pulling his face close to the older man as he tried not to breathe in the grotesque smell of his breath. 

“Your daddy doesn’t care.” Obadiah sneered. “Your daddy didn’t notice for the last 3 years, do you think he will suddenly start caring now? Your daddy doesn’t want you, he never did. This is all you’re worth.” 

At that, Peter couldn’t help but curl in on himself, the tears flowing freely down his face as they mingled with his snot and the dried blood which he always seemed to be covered in. His dad really didn’t care about him. The amount of times Peter had tried to tell Tony what was happening was uncountable, but the man never seemed to notice the pain his son was in. 

“When your daddy came home, he asked for two things. Can you guess what those two things were Peter?” Obadiah asked condescendingly. Peter shook his head slowly, tears still falling steadily from his eyes. “He asked for a cheeseburger, and a press conference. See Peter, to him, you’re less than fast food.” Peter sank once again to his knees, hugging himself as he let Obadiah’s words sink in. 

“Dad-daddy doesn’t w-want me?” He questioned, his wide brown orbs looked up to Obadiah as the man towered over him menacingly. 

“No Peter. Of course he doesn’t. Why would he? He never wanted you – you weren’t even meant to be alive. Then again, that could easily be remedied. Now, get in the cupboard, where you belong, and think about your uselessness.” Obadiah sneered as he walked away. 

“But, but what about my daddy?” Peter asked in-between hiccups, his thumb making his way into his mouth, a nervous tick he developed once Obadiah began to play a larger part in his life. 

“He’ll be dead soon don’t worry. Then I know I have you all to myself.”

~~~~~~~~~

Tony froze as the high pitched sound entered his ears, rendering his body useless. Obadiah walked around the couch from behind the genius, slowly turning the switch on the small device which was once Tony’s pride and joy, but now was his ruin. Tony couldn’t breathe, his head felt like it was going to explode. 

“When I ordered that hit on you,” Obadiah’s soft voice sounded through Tony’s ears. Tony’s eyes widened as the reality of the words sunk in, and betrayal filled his heart. “I was worried I was killing the Golden goose. But you had one last egg to give.” Moving around Tony’s incapacitated body, Obadiah reached over and attached a device to Tony’s chest, pulling out the arc reactor. “You may think I mean this little thing. As impressive as it is, out of all things I’ve taken from you, there is one I have taken the most *Ahem* pleasure in.” 

Tony’s face twisted into confusion, or as much as it could considering his lack of movement. Bending down, Obadiah whispered into Tony’s ear. 

 

“Your son is an excellent plaything.” 

 

Tony saw red. His mind was clouded by anger, and if he was able to move, he would have strangled the man he once considered a father right where he stood. His boy. He thought Peter was safe with Obadiah. He needed to call Pepper, or Rhodey, or anyone at this rate. He needed his boy back safe. 

“You should hear the way he screams sometimes. God it’s delightful.” Obadiah continues, and despite his paralysis Tony still has to fight the urge to be reacquainted with his dinner. “He stopped crying for you only a few days in, he is very easy to crack. There’s no sweeter sound than his soft little whimpers from the cupboard I’ll tell you that. I used to think all I ever wanted was this company, but now I know better.” Obadiah paused, looking over at Tony who had tears streaming down his face. The older man leaned close, almost whispering into Tony’s ear.

“I want your world Tony, and everything in it. When you’re gone, the only person with their hands in his curls is gonna be me.” With that blood curdling statement, Obadiah turned and left the room, Arc reactor in one hand, and an evil smirk on his face.

Tony tried and tried to convince his frozen limbs to respond to the commands his brain was giving, but one by one they all failed and all he was able to do was sink to the floor in despair and sadness. His boy had been taken away from him, right from under his nose. How had he let this happen? Tony let his thoughts overwhelm him as his grip on reality faltered and he fell into the void of his own mind.

_How did he let this happen?_

_Is Peter even alive? What would his world look like without Peter? Without his bouncing curls and toothy grin? Without his bright eyes that hold so much innocence and so much knowledge?_

_Why didn’t he see the signs? The way Peter used to shrink into himself around Obadiah, the hints at bedtime and the constant red, puffy eyes from nights of crying. Why did he let his demons consume him so badly that he missed the way his son clung to him every time he left the house? Why didn’t he notice the way Peter cried himself to sleep, silently with a whispered sob to JARVIS not to report it?_

Without even realising, Tony made his way down to the lab, eyes frantically searching the messy space until they hit their target. A small blue light, encased in glass signalled the way towards Tony’s, and potentially Peter’s, salvation. As Tony reached towards the arc reactor, his eyes caught the second part of Pepper’s present, a small photograph of him, Peter and Pepper as they visited the beach, in disguse of course, with the word’s “Proof that Tony Stark has a heart” engraved on the frame, like the case containing his arc reactor.  
“I’m gonna get you out Pete. Just hang on.” Tony huffed, his lungs still not working right as he began to lose his grip on the worktop due to the copious amount of sweat he was producing. Falling, the last thing he saw before he hit the ground was Peter’s smiling face, covered in ice cream as toddler’s faces always are, and his heart panged at the sight. His vision started to fade and blur, but he knew he couldn’t give up now, he had to be strong for Peter.

“Tony!” A voice shook him awake, rousing him from the strange sleep he had fallen into after reinserting the reactor core. The worried face of his best friend looked down on him, the concern only deepening when Tony grabbed onto Rhodey’s strong forearms and began to pull himself up.

“We.. gotta we gotta get Pe-pe” Tony mumbled out, his mouth not keeping up with the speed his brain was whirring at.

“Pepper? She is safe she had 5 agents with her don’t worry..” Rhodey reassured, trying to make Tony stay down and rest, but Tony continued to push against him.

“No- Peter. You-you gotta get Peter” Tony tried to get up again, only to have Rhodey’s hands push him back down once more.

“Peter is fine he is back at Obadiah’s house he won’t get hurt there.”

“But he already did get hurt there!” Tony all but shouted in his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tony you need to calm down okay!” Pepper all but shouted in his face as he stormed towards the oak doors of Obadiah’s mansion.

“Calm down? Calm down! How am I supposed to calm down! My son is in there and I don’t even know if he is alive! HOW CAN YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN PEPPER?” Tony retaliated, trying to blink back the tears that where blurring his vision. He needed to get inside. He needed to find Peter.

“Tony come on.” A calm voice sounded next to him. Tony spun around, only to be met with the face of his best friend. “Obadiah is dead, the only thing we need to focus on is getting Peter back. Revenge can wait.”

Tony nodded in silent agreement and the three of them began to move towards the doors. As they opened, Tony could only be surprised by the normalcy of Obadiah’s home. Nothing looked out of place, no evidence of a struggle, and for some reason Tony couldn’t decide if he is relieved or worried.

“Peter?” Pepper tentatively asked, waiting with bated breath for a reply. When none came, Tony could have sworn his heartbeat was so loud he wouldn’t have even been able to hear had there been a reply.

“Peter?” Tony shouted a little louder, motioning for the three to split up as he headed towards the stairs. “Obadiah said he kept him in a cupboard, check everything!”

Pepper and Rhodey nodded, heading off in different directions to scan the massive house for the tiny boy. Tony couldn’t help but think of the analogy of a needle in a haystack. Now he knew how Rhodey must have felt when he was missing. Ten agonisingly slow minutes passed, and Tony was before more and more demoralised. No one had found even a trace of the small boy, not a whimper, a faint whisper or even a call for his dad. That was until Tony rounded the corner to Obadiah’s large and excessive bedroom.

The entire place was in disarray, the only thing which had the appearance of neatness was the bed, but Tony wasn’t fooled. Small splatters of blood decorated the soft carpet underfoot with the attempts to clean it up visible, along with the blood there was the distinct smell of vomit, one that never really goes away no matter how hard you scrub, and Tony swore that smell would be burnt into his nostrils for years to come.

“Peter?” Tony called out softly, trying to hold back the bile that was rising in his throat as he stepped over a larger puddle of blood which looked too fresh for him to think about. Again no reply came, causing Tony to sigh and turn back towards the door, tears welling in his eyes at the prospect that his son might actually be dead, and buried in the garden.  
A small whimper sounded from Obaidah’s walk in wardrobe, Tony’s ears almost missing the soft sound. He raced towards the door, expect to throw them open and see his son sitting there waiting for him, hopefully harm free. God he had never hoped so hard for someone to be lying as he did now. What is Obadiah had simply manufactured the whole thing? What if Peter really was just safe and waiting for Tony to take him home?

Tony surged forward towards the doors with a newfound hope, throwing them open with a large smile, expecting to see his baby there harm free. Peter wasn’t there. Tony’s smile dropped instantly, his entire face betraying nothing but heartache. 

Another whimper, this time closer. A small whimper from a hidden door in the back of the wardrobe. A whimper from none other, than Peter Parker himself. Tony reached towards the small handle, opened the cupboard and was greeted with a sight which nearly caused him to throw up. 

“Daddy!” Peter said, in a whisper so small it could almost be mistaken for a light breeze rattling through the large windows. Peter sat on the floor, one arm pulled above his head by a rope, cutting into his wrist sending a small line of blood down his arm and towards his neck. His face was covered in dirt, and from his mouth there was a mix of drool, blood and vomit. His eyes were sunken in and even through his ratty top, which had been gifted to him by Tony before he was abducted, his small ribs were visible. 

“Oh God Peter!” Tony cried, dropping down to his knees and immediately starting to untie the tight rope. As soon as his wrist was free, Peter threw himself into his father’s arms, tears mingling with the dirt on his cheeks. Tony gripped him back with such force that it was a wonder the frail boy didn’t break under his grip. 

“Don’t cry baby. I’m here don’t cry.” Tony whispered into Peter’s curls, shuddering as he remember Obadiah’s comment about them. “Here let me wipe away those tears baby boy. You’re okay I’m here. You’re gonna be okay.” 

“He- he said you were dead” Peter spoke between hiccups, sobbing even louder as Tony gripped him even closer. “He s-said you, you di-didn’t want me anymore.” Tony’s eyes grew dark and anger coursed through his veins, but he knew he needed to stay strong. He needed to be strong for the boy falling apart in front of him. 

“Forgive me Pete please forgive me this is all my fault. I should have noticed I should have cared. I should have realised when you were hurting. I shouldn’t have left you with him. I’m so sorry Petey. God I’m so so sorry.” Tears began spilling down Tony’s cheeks, some falling and landing in the soft brown curls of the boy buried in his chest. “You don’t need to be scared anymore Pete. I’m here baby I’m here.” 

Tony heard loud footsteps thundering up the stairs, signalling the arrival of Pepper and Rhodey into the bedroom. Both froze at the sight before them, Peter covered in blood and snivelling into Tony’s shoulder which was becoming increasingly covered in dirt transferred from Peter’s face.

“Oh my God…” Pepper whispered, wanting to run to the small boy and wipe his pain away but knowing to stay away. Rhodey felt the same, clutching onto Pepper’s hand as if the world would collapse if he didn’t. 

“I was so wrapped up with everything after Afghanistan that I felt you would be safer here. I wanted to see you so bad Pete I really did, but it wasn’t safe with the press and I made a lot of enemies. But God I would face all of them weaponless with nothing but the shirt on my back if it meant you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” Tony choked out, tears freely spilling out of his eyes. 

“Don’t cry Daddy.” Peter’s small voice sounded, muffled by Tony’s shirt. “I’m okay Daddy. It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt anymore now that you’re here.” Tony couldn’t help but break a little more at his sons words. “Hello Pepper, hello Rhodey.” Peter mumbled, fingers entwined into Tony’s shirt. 

“Hey baby… I’m so glad to see you honey.” Pepper said, wrapping her arms around both Tony and Peter, securing her world within her arms. 

“Hey buddy, you’re so brave… so so brave.” Came the reply from Rhodey, tears stinging his eyes as he knelt down and joined the hug. 

“Thank you for saving me” Peter said sleepily, before drifting off in his families arms, oblivious to the sobs and sadness which surrounded him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically I do have a reason why I was away - I sat my A levels this May/June and they really really messed with my mental health. I didn't sleep, didn't eat, had a panic attack at least once a day. It really messed me up. I was expecting everything to get better after exams but I still am really messed up, but most of my sleeping and eating habits have improved. I had no motivation to do anything but I kept myself really busy because the moment I sat down I just wanted to cry. 
> 
> I know people probably don't care about my life but I still wanted to give you guys a reason for why it took me like 2 months to produce this God awful chapter! 
> 
> Anywayyyyyyyy thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the fact it's shit. Leave a comment if you did and heck leave a comment if you didn't enjoy it :)


	6. Mr and Mrs Darling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter but I felt this last one was better short and sweet.

Thursday came too soon for Peter, his heart racing as Happy pulled up outside the apartment, missing the way May’s face turned into one of concern when Peter said he was going to the tower on a not agreed upon day. May had been very clear – Peter can have the internship as long as Tony kept his distance and Peter only visited once a week. May drew her eyebrows together in concern – this was only going hurt Peter, and he couldn’t be hurt anymore. 

Happy didn’t say a word as Peter slid into the backseat, the only indication of him seeing Peter was a slightly concerned face, prompted by the lack of chat from the back of the car. Looking out of the window, Peter shut his eyes, trying to make up for the lack of sleep due to the nightmare, only to shoot upright once again, the same images burned into his mind and replaying on a loop. Happy once again looked into the mirror, concern deepening as he surveyed the boy; sweaty, eyes wide and panting, Peter looked far from healthy. Still, he said nothing and continued towards the compound. Peter couldn’t stop his hands from shaking as he reached for the door handle, ignoring the sight of the compound which usually put so much awe in his heart. What could Mr Stark want to talk to him about? He thought to himself. Was he in trouble? Did he do something wrong? Before he could gain an answer to the thousands of questions circling around his head, he was face to face with the man at the root of all his questions. 

Tony walked towards the small boy, worry setting in as he surveyed the pale face and wide eyes, trying to hide his own nervousness by projecting a large (if fake) sense of confidence. 

“Hey Spiderling. How about we head straight to the lab?” Tony asked, only gaining a small, tight-lipped nod and smile in response. Tony kept running scenarios in his head – he couldn’t exactly just start the conversation with “Hey Peter I’m your dad and I let you get abused in my care.” Wouldn’t exactly set a good tone for the rest of the afternoon. However, he didn’t need to stress, as Peter was the first to initiate the conversation. 

“Mr Stark, have I done something wrong?” He asked timidly, eye’s focused on the floor. “It’s just, well, um, you’re not exactly the kind of guy who would invite someone over for a little heart to heart for no reason.”

“Um, well you’re right there Pete. I needed to talk to you about something.” Tony internally kicked himself as he saw the kid’s eyes grow wide, still trained on the floor. “No you’re not in trouble, I promise kiddo.”

As both men rounded the corner into the lab, Peter tried to calm his beating heart, heading towards the soft sofa at the side of the lab, eyes catching on to the last project they had worked on together. After being dropped in a lake, Tony was desperate to work on Peter’s suit to stop the same thing happening again, and the man had slaved away for ours, his son’s safety at the forefront of his mind. 

“So, um. God this is hard. Peter, I am. God why can’t I just say it. Okay. Right.” 

“Peter, I’m your dad.” 

“I know.” Peter said simply, not looking as Tony turned to him in almost in horror. 

“Wait you do? Does that mean, does that mean you remember what happened?” Tony asked, fear laced in his voice. As much as he wanted his son to remember him, he never wanted him to remember what happened in his care. He didn’t want him to remember Obadiah. 

“No I don’t remember a lot. Sometimes I dream about it, about a man, but I never see a face.” Peter said absent mindly. “May won’t tell me anything, she says it’s for the best. But I wanna know Mr Stark, I really wanna know.” 

So Tony told him everything, from the moment May arrived with a small, curly haired bundle on the table, until she took the same curly hair away from him, kicking and screaming the entire way out of the hospital, not caring that he was tearing his stiches. He told Peter about Obadiah, about his death and strangely Peter felt nothing. No remorse, no guilt, just a sense of contentment. The man who hurt him was gone and was going to stay gone – the faceless man wasn’t Mr Stark, it was a dead man’s face, and that comforted Peter to no end. Tony told him all about how he never noticed, and that it was all his fault. Peter didn’t know how to respond to all of that. 

“Wait Mr Stark, if you really loved me, why did you get May take me to New York?” Peter asked, finally facing his mentor/father in the face. 

“I didn’t want to kiddo I really didn’t, but it made the most sense. She said you weren’t safe with me, and I couldn’t really disagree, I mean you were literally abused under my care.” Peter flinched at that, and Tony once again internally swore. “Letting you go was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I couldn’t bare it. It only took me 4 years after to move into the Stark Tower – I couldn’t bear the thought of being halfway across the continent from you.” 

Peter seemed to ponder that answer for a while, before opening his mouth to ask another question. “Why- why can’t I remember?” He asked in a small voice, almost so quiet Tony nearly missed it. 

“The doctors said it was like a repressed memory. You didn’t want to remember, so you didn’t. But you went a bit overboard didn’t you Pete!” Tony chuckled at his attempt at humour, trying to lighten the mood. “I wish it didn’t happen like this Pete. I didn’t even mean to find you again – I thought you were safer without me. But then you start swinging around the city, taking down criminals and I couldn’t let you do that by yourself. I knew I had to protect you in a way I didn’t do when you were younger.” Peter stayed silent, his eyes on his mentor/father’s face as he studied the man. “I shouldn’t have taken you to Germany, but I got so caught up with the idea of us fighting together, father son superhero’s. God I’ve made a right mess of this. All of this.” Tony sighed. 

“I don’t blame you, you know.” Peter mumbled, reaching out to hold Tony’s hand. “it wasn’t your fault dad.” 

Tony couldn’t help the huge smile which spread across his face, eventually spreading to Peter’s face until the younger boy buried his head into the inventor’s chest, the two of them weeping and smiling like maniacs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's finally finished! Only took me like 4 months... 
> 
> I had a great little break in Europe for the last 2 weeks so I felt refreshed and ready to right. I really hope you enjoyed this story, even though I think it sucked!
> 
> Thank you so much for all your support you don't know how much it means to meeeeeee

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you want to tell me what I could improve, or if you liked the start of the story or not - it really helps me improve and gauge what needs to be worked on.
> 
> I hope you all have an incredible dayyyyyy


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